Nature

Visiting Gibbs Gardens has been a joy for our family during this unique season. We had no idea it'd be a spot that would remain open and have loved checking out the change in blossoms, walking together, and enjoying so much beauty. One of the times I took along a scavenger hunt for the little girls to complete and they enjoyed having that to focus on (and the reward of fruit snacks at the end!). I've found it so calming to walk and sit in the stillness of nature and the outing together as a family has been wonderful. A few of these walks, I had some real time to process internally and just listen. God's comforting voices was woven into so many moments - the steps, the quiet benches, the blossoms, the pathways. Beautiful.

 This one isn't in Gibbs, but in a random spot of a parking lot where we had a picnic with burgers and fries. It was new and different from eating at a restaurant, but gosh, we had fun!

This was our next trip there (looking forward to going again soon!)

 I fell in LOVE with this plant! I've always loved hydrangeas, but had never seen a variety that blooms like this (and so early!). We came home and figured out that we have THREE of them planted at our house! SO EXCITED!

Easter

Building simple family traditions that center on Christ are what we strive to create during the Easter season. It feels like a proactive effort to let go of the "noise" and commercialism that surrounds the holiday. Every year we seem to tweak, add or refine something, but it has absolutely become one of my most favorite holidays. I wanted to write a few of our traditions down for memory!

Palm Sunday - We typically begin our Easter focus the Sunday prior. We love the Bible videos that bring the scriptures to life. In past years, the kiddos made palm leaves out of construction paper and took turns walking over them. This year, it was fun to go in our backyard and connect with actual Palm Leaves. 

We use these bible videos.  

During dinner that night (we've built a tradition that at the end of our Sunday Dinners, we'll have a gospel-centered discussion. Often, we start with a short video and then chat from there.), we watched the Because of Him video and all chose a specific focus to center more on Christ. I loved this idea, and next year I think it might be fun for us to incorporate for the whole month leading up to Easter, or in conjunction with Lent!

Holy Week - Each night we read the scriptures/watch the Bible video that connects with the Holy Week. This year we were a little off with it being the same week as our vacation, so we had a couple catch ups, but it all worked out. We usually finish up with a short discussion - sharing why this part of history connects to our every day life, and how we can strive to follow the teachings and example of Christ.

Jerusalem Dinner - We started this tradition a couple years ago, and it is a favorite! Depending on how scheduling works out, we try to do this on Thursday night, in conjunction with the last supper, but this year, it fit better for us to do on Saturday night. We keep the meal simple - and it seems to evolve depending on what I can put together to "represent" a dinner from long ago. This year, we ate outside, with little tea lights and background music. We chat together about the Holy Week, what it means to us, and share our love for Christ and for families. We keep it really informal, short and it's of course mixed in with whatever topic comes up, but it has those mindful moments where we just feel present and connected.

Easter Egg Hunt - I LOVE family Easter egg hunts! I find myself smiling the whole time. I actually signed up for our neighborhood Easter egg hunt (held the week prior) and even dropped off the eggs prior to the event. And then forgot to go! Ha! Oh well, it all worked out. We did our hunt in the backyard, and combined two types of eggs. Some were full of candy (of course) and others were numbered filled with scriptures and a little object that connected with the scripture. After everyone found their eggs, we went through the numbered scripture eggs, and it's handy that the kids have fun munching on their candy while reading them too!

Sugar Cookies - We make these every year - since it seems like they don't get enough sugar already! The girls love helping in the kitchen, and making cookies together is just fun (messy, but fun!). 

Easter Eggs - We usually dye these and use them as an Easter decoration along with some spring flowers, but didn't get to it this year!

Artwork - This year, we printed the packet from the small seed and used art to connect to Christ as well. To me, art is so calming and mindful. It is such a beautiful way to center and connect things we may hear or see and express in a personal way. Alexis really took to this one - and it reminded me how meaningful it is to have a variety of different mediums to teach principles as different kiddos strengths will connect in different ways. 

Sunday Morning Devotional - Our first thing on Sunday morning is a Christ-centered devotional. We typically have an Easter breakfast - for us it's German pancakes! We love attending church - and this year we loved that our church held the semi-annual conference on Easter. It was amazing to soak in! 

Easter baskets: These are fun to look for and in full disclosure, Tayler found hers and said, “Mom and Dad, you are totally doing these. There’s not a bunny that hides these!” Probably not too hard to figure out since I realized about 10pm night prior that we didn’t have any “Easter baskets” (those didn’t make it in the move!) and used some gift bags (which of course she totally recognized).   Initially, I thought “oh no! I’ve spoiled it for her” but I let that thought go and realized how freeing it felt that she knew for herself what was real about Easter, what wasn’t, and was happy and content all the same. We’ve never really chatted about the bunny anyway, so for us, it feels like one more way to simplify and focus on the fun and deeper purpose of the holiday.

It's our hope that these traditions will not only connect our kiddos (and ourselves) more deeply to Easter, and center our minds on Christ, but that through this study, it's something that we can continue to be mindful all year long. President Spencer W. Kimball said that "perhaps the most important word in the dictionary is remember." And that's our hope. To remember.

Photos from the Easter egg Hunt:

 Our Jerusalem Dinner:

 Making Sugar Cookies!

 Some of Alexis' drawings!

Loved Tayler’s interpretation of this!

Creating Family Dinner in 3 Ways

During the late afternoon to evening window I do one thing with complete consistency:

I pray.

And try to breathe.

Emotions bounce between my excited, energetic school-age kiddos and my little ones who pull at my legs and fiercely want all my attention. Throw in car time for after school activities, and it's a whirlwind of chaos. I often pray the heavens will open and remind my children that while there are four of them, there is only one of me. And as I focus on math or spelling with one kiddo, that I'll react patiently when my toddler dumps out all of the toys in the entire house. Or while I'm cleaning up my toddler and her mess, that I'll listen to my seven year old share her favorite story from recess. Or while I'm having my older kiddos do their 'jobs' for each day, that I'll remember they are still learning the process. While it would be so much faster and easier to do myself, enabling them to learn is important to me (one goal I have as a mother is to teach them to be self-sufficient and independent human beings - much easier said than done).

Most of all, prayer and breathing remind me to mindfully focus on the now. Embrace today and all the learning and growing that comes with it. Eliminate my "to dos" to be more open and available to really listen. EnJOY time with them.

At some point during this window, we eat dinner. Part of me imagines dinner a little like a Norman Rockwell painting where we relax, eat and enjoyably wind down together. More often than not, dinner is full of spills, disagreements on who's sitting where, food-eating protests and opinions of all kinds.

In lieu of throwing in the towel, I feel a deep responsibility to continue family dinners. Even if they aren't perfect or tidy (thank goodness for vacuums!).

Because I recognize the value within family dinner. Studies over the past 15 years have shown that family dinner is good for the spirit, mind and overall health of all family members. Regular family dinners are linked with lower rates of substance abuse, teen pregnancy and depression. And I love hearing that stories told around dinner help kiddos build resilience.* With consistency and time, these small and simple efforts really do add up.

A few years ago, as my oldest was a little guy, I learned that dinner as a mother is very different from previous dinners I'd had in life. Feeding a little person while trying to feed yourself resulted in a learning curve, a new perspective, and many cold meals. I began to dig deep as to how I wanted our family dinner to look. What could I create in our home to establish consistency?

1. Simplify with a plan. Eliminate the daily question of "what's for dinner?" by planning dinners ahead. I prefer a weekly plan as I've found our schedule seems to tweak and change on a weekly basis. I plan on Sunday, with a list ready for shopping on Monday. It saves money and time with less trips to the store and avoids the last minute panic. I'm able to plug in the crock-pot or quick dinners with hectic nights, and pre-prep foods to simplify dinner for another night.
2. Be consistent. I've found phrases like "a little or a lot" help give kiddos freedom while still eating something. Consistently cooking one meal for the whole family (rather than having different menus) simplifies prep, clean up and teaches my kiddos about variety. Consistently including a variety of real foods enables them to learn how to fuel their bodies. Especially with veggies. I read once it takes between 8-20 times for a child to be offered a specific food before they actually choose the food. That's crazy! Consistently involving the kiddos they are usually more appreciative and willing to actually eat dinner. They set and clear off the table, rotate choosing a meal for the week, and my older ones help with food prep. Sharing the work load lessens the burden.
3. Relax. Paper plates or a picnic outside can be so fun. Theme nights are a favorite - a fun fact from different areas of the world as we try a new food (I have curry and sushi lovers from this), tying them in with days of the week (taco tuesday!), or creating an at-home restaurant.

As much as I want my kiddos to learn that fueling our bodies with good foods is important, I want them to learn MOST that FAMILY is important. That our time with them is something we treat as a priority, not a stress, or another thing to do because we are hungry.

*research information from the familydinnerproject.org